Method of making hinges



Nov. 15, 1927. 1,649,586

C.HABART METHOD OF MAKING HINGES Filed Nov. 26. 1924 Patented Nov. 15,1927.

CHARLES HABART, F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

METHOD OF MAKING HINGES.

, Application filed November 26, 1924-.

The present invention relates to spring hinges and their rnethodofmanufacture, and more particularly to spring hinges of the type in whichthe spring element is adapted to be retained by one of the leaves of thehinge when the leaves are disconnected by the removal of the hingepintle. This application is a continuation in part of my co-pendingapplication, Serial No. 600,615, filed November 13, 1922.

By the present invention I haveprovided a hinge ha ing a barrel portionforming an integral part of one of the leaves and con-- stituting ahousing for the spring element which is securely retained thereby underan initial tension. The hinge consists of but four parts, namely, thetwo leaves, the spring element, and the hinge pintle. The blanks for thetwo leaves are adapted to be stamped and punched from sheetmetal at asingle operation. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention thespring element consists of two coil springs placed end to end, but asin' gle coil spring may be employed if desired, lln stamping out theblank for the leaf, which is to have the integral spring-retain ingbarrel portion, the tongue, which is later bent to form said barrelportion, is provided with a central longitudinally extending slot toreceive the adjacent end portions of the springs and is also provided atits free end with slots or notches to receive the remote end portions ofthe springs. In assembling the springs with the leaf', the barrelforming tongue and the ears which form the end closures for the barrelportion are bent up at approximately rightangles to the body of theblank. The springs are then placed between the bent up ears with theiradjacent end portions projecting through the central slot in the tongue.The tongue is then bent into barrel form about the springs. This operation serves to place the springs under an initial tension, as will behereinafter apparent. The cooperating leaf is formed from the stampedandpunched blank by simply bending up the pintle-receiving ears at rightanglesto the body of the blank.

The hereinbefore described method or manufacturing my improved hingewill be more apparent by referenceto the accompanying drawings, whereinFigures 1 and 2 are plan views of the stamped and punched blanks fromwhich the two leaves of the hinge are formed;

Serial No. 7553,2111.

Figure is an end View of the blank shown in Figure l, showing thesprings in position and the bending tool in engagement with the tongue;7

Figure 6 is an end view corresponding to Figure 5 and showing the tonguebent around the springs to form the spring-re taining barrel portion;

Figure 7 is a plan View of the assembled hinge, and

Figure 8 is a section on the line VIII-VIII of Figure 7.

in constructing a hinge according to the present invention, the blanks 2and 3, shown in Figures 1 and 2, for the leaves are stamped and punchedfrom sheet metal. The blank 2 is provided with ears 4 havingpintie-receiving openings 5 and the body of the blank has the usualholes 6 for the screws whereby theleaf is attached to a door or doorframe. In order to form the leaf from this stamped and punched blank itis only necessary to bend up the two ears 4 on the dotand dash lines 7until they stand at right angles to the body of the blank, asillustrated in Figure 3.

The blank has an integral tongue 8 provided with a centrallongitudinally extending slot 9 and with relatively short slots ornotches 10 at the free end of the tongue formed by cutting away themetal at the opposite corners of the tongue. The tongue has integralcars 11 projecting from the opposite side edges thereof adjacent thebody of the blank. These ears have pintle-receiving holes 12, while thebody of the blank has the usual holes 13 for the attaching screws.

In order to adapt the blank shown in F igure 2 to receive the coilsprings 14, the tongue 8 and the ears 11 are bent up, by any suitablemeans, so as to extend at substantially right angles to the body of theblank. The blank is then in the condition shown in Figure 4. The coilsprings 14 are then placed between the bent up ears 11 with theiradjacent end portions 15 projecting through the slot 9 in the tongue 8,and with the remote end portion 16 engaging the body of the blank. Asuitable bending tool 17 is then placed in engagement with the free endof the tongue, as illustrated in Figure 5, and as this bending tooldescends the tongue 1s bent into barrel form, shown in Figure 6, withits free end engaging or substantially engaging the body of the blank,and with the end portion 16 of the springs pro ecting through the slotsor notches 10 in said free end of the tongue.

It will be noted by comparing Flgures 5 and 6 that thecoil springs" 14,when placed between the bent up ears 11, pro ect above the upper edgesof said ear s. hen the tongue is bent around these coil springs they areforced down between the ears, thus increasing the angle between the proecting end portions 15 and 16 of the sprmgs and placing the springsunder an initial tension.

It will be noted by reference to Flgure & that when the tongue 8 andears 11 are bent up at right angles to the body of the blank the outersurfaces of the ears 11 are substantially flush with the longitudinaledges of the tongue, so that when the tongue is bent into the barrelform shown in Figure 6 the tongue is bent into engagement with theperipheral edges of the ears, the latter forming end closures for thebarrel portion of the leaf.

The distance between the inner surfaces of the bent up ears l of theleaf 2 is slightly greater than the length of the barrel portion of theleaf 3 so that in assembling the leaves, as shown in Figure '7, thebarrel portion fits between the ears i and the openings 5 in the ears lalign with the openings 12 in the ears 11. The two leaves are connectedby inserting a removable pintle 18 through these registering openings.

When the two leaves are connected, the end portions 15, which projectthrough the slot 9 in the barrel portion of the leaf 3, are adapted tobear upon the leaf 2. Since the end portions 15 and 16 normally extendat an angle to each other slightly less than 180, the connected leavestend to assume the relative positions shown in Figure 8, that is, withthe body portions of the leaves extending at an angle to each othercorresponding to the normal angle between the end portions 15 and 16 ofthe springs. When the leaves are attached to a door and door frame thebody portions of the leaves extend in the same plane, whereby theprojecting end portions lliare held out of engagement with the loweredge of the slot 5). This puts an increased tension on the springs andthis tension is exerted on the leaves and is sniiicient to hold the doorin closed position with considerable pressure against the door frame.

Inusing a pair of these hinges to secure a door to its frame. the leavescarrying the springs can be attached either to the door or to the frame.preferably to the door. When it is desired to take the door down allthat is necessary is to remove the pintles and the springs will beretained by the leaves having the barrel portions formed thereon.

It will be apparent that the present invention provides a hinge ofsimple construction which can be cheaply manufactured from sheetmaterial by stamping and punching the blanks for the leaves and thenbcnd ing them to form as described. The springs are securely held in thespring-retaining barrel and there is no possibility of the springsbecoming displaced or lost when the leaves are disconnected by removingthe hinge pintle.

\Vhile I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that the invention may be otherwiseembodied within the scope of the appended claims without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In the method of manufacturing spring hinges, the steps consisting informing from sheet metal a blank for a leaf having an integral slottedtongue portion projecting from the body portion of the blank, placing acoil spring on said blank with one end portion thereof projectingthrough the slot in said tongue and the other end portion thereofengaging said body portion, and bending said tongue around said springto form a retaining housing therefor. substantially as described,

2. In the method of manufacturing spring hinges, the steps consisting informing from sheet metal a blank for a leaf having an in tegral slottedtongue portion projecting from the body portion of the blank, placing onsaid blank a coil spring having its end pun trons projecting at an angleto each other with one of said end portions projecting through the slotin said tongue and the other end portion engz'rging said body portion,and bending said tongue around said spring to form a retaining housingtherefor and coin press said spring to increase the angle between saidprojecting end portions thereof and thereby place the spring under aninitial tension, substantially as described.

3. In the method of manufacturing spring hinges, the steps consisting informing from sheet metal a blank for a leaf having an integral slottedtongue portion projectin from the body portion of the blank. ben mg saidtongueto extend at an angle to said body portion. placing on said blanka coil spring having its end portions projecting at an angle to eachother with one of said end portions projecting through the slot in saidtongue and the other end portion engaging said body portion, and bendingsaid tongue around said spring to form a retaining housing therefor andcompress said spring to increase the angle between said projecting endportions thereof and thereby place the spring under an initial tension,substantially as described.

4. In the method of manufacturing spring hinges, the steps consisting informing from sheet metal a blank for a leaf having an integral slottedtongue portion projecting from the body portion of the blank, and havingintegral ears projecting from the opposite side edges of said tongue,bending said ears to extend at right angles to said body portion,placing a coil spring on said blank between said ears with one endportion thereof projecting through the slot in said tongue and the otherend portion engaging said body portion, and bending said tongue aroundsaid spring to form with said ears a retaining housing for said spring,substantially as described.

5. In the method of manufacturing spring hinges, the steps consisting informing from sheet metal a blank for a leaf having an integral slottedtongue portion projecting from the body portion of the blank andintegral ears projecting from the opposite side edges of said ton ue andprovided with pintle receiving openings, bending said ears to extendatsubstantially right angles to said body portion, bending said tongueto extend at an angle to said body portion, placing on said blank a coilspring having its end portions projecting at an angle to each other withone of said end portions projecting through the slot in said tongue. andthe other end portion engaging said body portion, and bending saidtongue around said spring to form with said cars a retaining housingtherefor and compress said spring to increase the angle between saidprojecting end portions thereof and thereby place the spring under aninitial tension, substantially as described.

6. In the method of manufacturing spring hinges, the steps consisting informing from sheet metal a blank for a leaf having an integral slottedtongue portion projecting from the body portion of the blank andintegral ears projecting from the opposite side edges of said tongue andprovided with pintle-receiving openings, bending said ears to extend atsubstantially right angles to said body portion, placing a coil springon said blank with one end portion thereof projecting through the slotin said tongue and the other end portion engaging said body portion,bending said tongue around said spring to form with said ears a.retainin housing therefor, forming from sheet meta a blank for acooperating leaf having integral ears for cooperation with the ears ofthe first blank and provided with pintle-receiving openings, and bendingsaid ears to extendat right angles to the body portion of the blank,substantially as described.

7. A method of forming a spring-retaining spring-hinge section, whichconsists in forming from sheet metal a blank having a flatspring-embracing tongue and having transversely extending ears, thencurling the tongue about a coil spring having an extension thereon andcausing the curled portion to simultaneously distort the spring to putit under compression, and then folding the transverse ears perpendicularto the blank.

8. A method of forming a spring-retaining spring-hinge section, whichconsists in forming a blank from a sheet of metal having a tongue andhaving ears which are transverse to the tongue, curling the tongue abouta coil spring having a laterally projecting end portion with the endportion at the edge of the curled tongue, folding the transverse earsperpendiculai to the blank and thereby confining the end portion of thespring bet-ween one edge of the curled tongue and one of the said ears,and placing the spring under compression and confining it againstrelease by the said curling and folding operations.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand,

CHARLES HABART.

